Dr. Judy Eckerle, a Korean adoptee and the director of the adoption medicine clinic at the University of Minnesota, shares about common special needs among adopted children, the different outcomes she sees between children who grow up in orphanages and those who grow up in families, and how she has seen international adoption change in the 15 years since she began practicing adoption medicine.
Over the summer, Dr. Judy Eckerle — a Korean adoptee and the director of the adoption medicine clinic at the University of Minnesota — traveled to Oregon to be interviewed for a documentary about international adoption filmed at Holt’s headquarters in Eugene, Oregon. Produced by the production company Empowered and hosted by actress Meg Ryan, the documentary first appeared on PBS during National Adoption Month in in November 2023 — and will continue to air on PBS stations throughout the year!
Dr. Eckerle is featured prominently, but her full interview is much longer and richer in detail than what made it into the final cut of the five-minute documentary. Below, we put together a rough cut of her interview to share more of her insights from her 15 years of practicing adoption medicine — and as a Korean adoptee who is uniquely equipped to understand and identify with many of the children she cares for.
View the documentary on international adoption featuring Holt staff that appeared on PBS!
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